


Death Becomes You

by zarahjoyce



Series: The NEW Adventures of Sinbad Fan-Fiction Season 2 [10]
Category: The Adventures of Sinbad (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-01-01
Updated: 2002-01-01
Packaged: 2019-03-15 22:59:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13623297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarahjoyce/pseuds/zarahjoyce
Summary: By Piper and AliseaIn order to stay alive for good, Mustapha makes a deal with the devil that will put all of his friends' trust in him on the line.





	Death Becomes You

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Merlin and Calvin, the archivists: this story was originally archived at [The New Adventures of Sinbad Fan Fiction Season 2](https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_New_Adventures_of_Sinbad_Fan_Fiction_Season_2) and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The New Adventures of Sinbad Fan Fiction Season 2’s collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thenewadventuresofsinbad/profile).

* * *

**EPISODE 11 – DEATH BECOMES YOU**  
  
WRITTEN BY - PIPER, ALISEA  
EDITED BY - CALVIN, WMM, VAL

* * *

**TEASER**

Scratch makes a deal with Death that will hinder Sinbad and his crew...

_"Good! That demon is too powerful now. With his powers grown, he will certainly destroy Sinbad's crew."_

And Mustapha is now fearing for his life...

_“What do you want from me!” He yelled, masking his fear with his fury._

Will he put the whole crew in danger for his selfish desires, even if it means obtaining the one thing that he wants most in the world?

_"Sinbad, we can't find Mustapha anywhere." Firouz said._

_"What?  Are you sure he is not in his cabin?." Sinbad asked._

_"No, we looked everywhere, he is not on the ship."_

Will his loyalty be enough to stop him?

_Scratch held out a hand in front of Mustapha. “The book.”_

_Mustapha took a step back. “My life.”_

Or will Sinbad have to take Scratch up on his offer?

_“That is the only way I would agree to leave Mustapha alone.”_

Coming up next...

* * *

The wind blew harshly inside the cave. Some bats that were resting peacefully flew away with sudden movements. They surrounded a tall and thin figure. It was clear to them that it was an intruder, a man that had dared disturb their slumber.

But this man was not a man at all. His thin figure was only represented by a black cloak that covered every inch of his body. He raised one of his bony hands, and with one movement, the whole existence of the bats was over. They fell to the floor and disappeared, burning with a blue fire.

The eyes of the man turned green, and focused to one direction. He kept walking, his body surrounded by a thick mist. On his way he found several diminutive demons. They practically hid at the sight of this man. He didn't seem to mind about them.  He kept walking and then he looked to his right. Someone was expecting him.

"My good friend!" a familiar voice said.

"I am not your friend, Scratch. What do you want? You know I hate this special summoning." the figure said.

"Oh come on! You should be a little bit happier. Are you always this boring?" Scratch asked.

"I have work to do, and I just can't come to see you every time you want."

"Fine, fine, don't get too excited." Scratch answered, laughing. He stood from his rock throne and walked to the figure. "I need to ask you a favor. It is about a man. His name is Mustapha."

"Oh yes, I remember him. He was revived." he said with calm.

"Yes, and you know it was an illegal and unnatural action." Scratch answered.

"Magic is never unnatural Scratch. It comes from the elements." The mysterious man answered.

"Look, I know all that but... that man was dead. He was supposed to remain like that forever."

"What are you trying to say?."

"Well," Scratch walked away from him  "I want Mustapha back. He is a damned soul."

"Scratch, this can't be done".

The demon, not letting his chance to go away that easily, responded, "Of course you can do it, you are Death!." He exclaimed.

Death turned abruptly and with his bony hand he grabbed Scratch's neck. "Don't you dare to raise your voice to me!" he said angrily.

"Okay, I got your point. But you must remember who I am!. I am the guardian of the damned souls! That man was part of my team, and he abandoned this place without my permission." Scratch answered while trying to calm down.

Death seemed to think about it. With that point of view Scratch was right.

"That sorceress used the Book of Darkness and Light. It is forbidden to use it in a selfish way, just to revive a common mortal." Scratch reasoned.

Death just stayed quiet, thinking about Mustapha. Scratch was right, but he was sure that his intentions were selfish and that he was planning something. But he had the right to claim Mustapha's life, Death had to accept that.

"So, what are you thinking?" Scratch said losing his nerve.

"You are right Scratch, there is an imbalance because of the reviving of that man, but it can be arranged in other ways."

"I'm all ears!" the demon said, eager.

"This is the only choice I'm going to give you: If Mustapha doesn't give his life to you by the time sunset comes, you will have the chance to bring back from the dead a creature to finish his work, and to compensate you for the loss of Mustapha." Scratch started to like the idea.

"So, it would be...Elbus!."

"Exactly." Death answered coldly.

"Good! That demon is too powerful now. With his powers grown, he will certainly destroy Sinbad's crew."

"What are you saying Scratch?" Death asked worriedly.

"Just thinking." he said chuckling, "I love that idea, I'll call him right now." Scratch raised his claws excited, but Death stopped him.

"No! Remember the deal. You can only revive Elbus if Mustapha doesn't give you his life."

"Oh but..."

"That is all Scratch. I don't want to hear anything else from you. That's my final word." Death raised his hand and the thick mist covered him again. He was gone. Scratch was very happy, his plan worked after all.

"Oh yes my dear Mustapha, you are going to be very useful this time. I know that you are coward enough to betray your friends to save your life, I'll use that for my benefit."

Scratch laughed tremendously. He grabbed a dark cloak and covered himself with it.

"I'm going to make a little appearance to Sinbad's crew. I'm sure they would love to see me again." he laughed even more before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

~~~  
  
Sinbad raised his head and smelled the salty air while his hand was holding the tiller. The morning was beautiful, and he was in a great humor. He had a feeling that this was going to be a quiet day, with no problems. He returned his eyes to the ship and handed the tiller to a minor crewmember, then walked down the stairs to the galley. Maeve, Firouz, Rongar and Mustapha were already there, chatting.

Firouz served himself a glass of water while hearing the conversation, or rather, the argument between Maeve and Mustapha.

"Oh! my head!" Mustapha said while holding his head between his hands.

"What happened to you?" Maeve asked.

"He drank too much last night" Firouz explained.

"I'm not shocked at all. Mustapha, you should quit that bad habit." Maeve suggested while feeding Dermott with her hand.

"It's not a bad habit, girl, it's just something I like to do." Mustapha answered.

"But every time you do it, you end up bending over the rail and throwing up."

"You are exaggerating, woman." he said while standing up. He walked to the cabins.

"I'm not exaggerating. It's a shame that you always end up like this."

"A shame? Of course not!" he turned his face to the other side, and in that moment Doubar opened his door, hitting Mustapha's face. He fell to the floor. Maeve and Firouz started lo laugh.

"Oh, sorry Mustapha, I didn't see you." Doubar said while offering his hand to Mustapha.

"Yeah right!." he accepted it. Sinbad walked down the stairs and started to laugh as well.

"You too? You are a bunch of fools!." Mustapha said angrily.

"Relax Mustapha, it's nothing against you, it's just that..." Firouz started.

"What, mister science?" Mustapha asked.

"You looked funny, that's all." Maeve completed. Mustapha walked up the stairs and before opening the door said:

"You all think that I am a joke right? that I am a clown? well, one of this days I'll show you that I am not, and that I am a member of this crew." Then he slammed the door.

Sinbad was surprised. "What happened? did you tell him something Maeve?".

"No, only that he should quit drinking."

"Let him be, he will be fine in a few hours." Firouz said. When Firouz finished his sentence, the ship started to shake with violence. Maeve and Firouz had troubles keeping the balance. Sinbad immediately ran to the deck, the rest of the crew behind him.

*Stay here* Maeve ordered to Dermott in her mind.

"What is going on?" Sinbad asked a minor crewmember.

"We don't know sir, the sky was clear a minute ago." the man answered.

"Doubar, hold the tiller! we can't lose our course" the captain ordered.

"Sinbad, look!" Maeve pointed to the sky. The image of Scratch appeared on the clouds.

"Well, hello!" Scratch said laughing.

"You again!" Sinbad shouted while taking out his sword.

"Yes my dear captain. Did you miss me?."

"What do you want?."

"That's obvious Sinbad. He wants you." Maeve answered while walking to him. Sinbad ordered her with his hand to stay behind him.

"Oh, not this time my dear sorceress. I want someone else. But where is he?" Scratch's eyes traveled around the ship. He found Mustapha helping Doubar to manage the tiller.

"There you are!." Mustapha looked at him confused and walked to the rail. A small whirlwind grabbed Mustapha's body and made him float.

"Put him down!" Sinbad ordered angrily.

"Of course I will captain, but first you have to hear me." Mustapha started to scream desperately. Maeve raised her hand and threw to Scratch one of her fireballs, but it missed. Scratch laughed even more.

"Mustapha belongs to me. " he declared.

"I don't think so." Sinbad shouted.

"You are wrong. Listen to me captain. Mustapha is a damned soul. He was with me before this little witch revived him." he pointed at Maeve.

"So what? he is alive again, he is free." Sinbad said.

"No, he is not free. He returned to this world without my permission, and without Death's permission. He must give up his life by sunset or..." Scratch started.

"Or what? What if we don't want to give him up?." Sinbad threatened. He looked to Mustapha, who was still inside the whirlwind, barely conscious.

"Or I will summon Elbus to destroy you all. Remember him Sinbad?."

Maeve's eyes widened open. "Of course we remember him. He is the one who sent Dim dim away!."

"That's right girl, and if you don't give up Mustapha by sunset, the creature will come back and believe me, he is even more dangerous." Scratch said.

"We will not give you Mustapha back." Sinbad declared.

"As you wish captain. And you," Scratch pointed at Mustapha, "the decision is yours, you have until sunset. The lives of your friends are in your hands.” Scratch laughed before disappearing. The whirlwind dispelled and Mustapha fell to the waters.

“Doubar, come here quickly!". Rongar let down a rope. Sinbad was ready to jump but Doubar stopped him.

"Let me do it little brother, I'm stronger." Doubar suggested before jumping to the waters. Doubar tied the rope around Mustapha's waist as Firouz and Sinbad pulled him back onto the ship. Mustapha was gasping for air.

"Are you okay?" Maeve asked him.

"Yes. Thank you again Doubar." Mustapha said.

"No problem." he answered while climbing the rail.

"What are we going to do Sinbad?." Firouz asked while helping Mustapha to get up.

~~~  
  
Sinbad stood motionlessly at the deck, looking aimlessly at the blue sky above him. his face held no emotion, but in his crystal-clear eyes, the feelings were reflected to be fighting each other. As a captain, he knew that the others were looking up to him as the source of their strength, and their wisdom. Sinbad had managed to live up to that role, but now, he did not know if he could continue the charade. Inside, he was confused.

He did not know what to do about Mustapha's case. In part, he believed he was to blame. After all, he did not stop Maeve from chanting the spell that would revive Mustapha. In fact, he was one of those who had agreed immediately to the idea. But what about now? He could not give Scratch what he wanted. And with that came also the knowledge that he could not win another war with the strengthened Elbus.

Sinbad cast his eyes downwards, not knowing what to do. Knowing that the captain needed the time alone, Dermott carefully flew over the railing, and perched, out of Sinbad's view. He knew of his problem, and what he would give to help. But sadly, in his present state of form he could do nothing but watch. And watch he would, for this was the only thing that he could contribute to the group that his sister trusted with her life.

A gust of wind made Sinbad look up, and he straightened, alarmed, as he stared into the eyes of the devil himself. His hand instinctively touched his sword. “Scratch,” he fumed. “What is it that you want now?”

“Easy, my captain.” Scratch said with a sneer. “I only have one quest for this meeting with you.”

“You cannot have Mustapha,” Sinbad said, bravely raising his sword to the air. “As I've said before, he is a free soul. He is not yours.”

“Ah, and so, should I send Elbus to you?” Scratch laughed as he saw Sinbad swallow hard at the mention of the monster. “You know you cannot defeat him this time.”

“I can, and I will.”

“Fool.” Scratch said, his voice venomous. “You will risk to save one soul from me, yet at the same time risk the souls of your friends and yourself?”

“You cannot have Mustapha.” Sinbad stated again.

 “Ah, yes. I can't.” the monster said. “I cannot because you will not allow it, correct, captain?”

“Yes!”

“Then I would drive a bargain.” Scratch looked at Sinbad, and grinned. “Mustapha's soul for yours.”

Sinbad lowered his sword. “What?”

“Your soul for his, captain. You want to save him? Fine. But you have to give yourself to me as the price.”

“I would agree to you only when I am no longer breathing,” Sinbad told him. “You are truly insane to bring up a stupid negotiation.”

“Think about it. Your soul would become mine, and in turn, you won't have to worry about Mustapha's.” Scratch pointed at Sinbad. “That is the only way I would agree to leave Mustapha alone.”

Sinbad tilted his chin in defiance. “Then I say send Elbus to me, because there is not a chance that I would agree to what you are saying.”

“You had your chance, captain.” Scratch said before he completely disappeared. Dermott watched in earnest as the conversation between the devil and his captain ensued. Now that Scratch is gone, he would have to tell his sister what he had witnessed. He flew out of his perch and into Maeve's cabin.

~~~  
  
Mustapha was about to rest on his bed when a swirling sound made him look up. He stared, aghast, as Scratch appeared to him. “What do you want from me!” He yelled, masking his fear with his fury.

“Your soul. Your life. Does it matter? For at the end of the day you will be mine again, and I will bring you back to your rightful place.” Scratch laughed as he sensed the fear from Mustapha. “Afraid, my lost soul?”

“Never!” Mustapha claimed, standing firm on his ground. “I would never return with you. My place is here, with my friends. Never with you!”

“Not for any longer.” Scratch said.

“I am not afraid of dying all over again!” Mustapha told him, jabbing his finger in front of Scratch's face.

“That I do not believe.” Scratch said with a laugh. “But I have something to say to you. There is a chance that I could let you live your miserable life here, and that is only if you do what I want.”

“I don't want to hear it!” Mustapha cried. But inside, he rejoiced at the knowledge that his life may not be forfeited yet.

“There is only one chance, and that is for you to retrieve the book that the witch used to revive you.”

“Maeve's magic book?” Mustapha clarified.

“That is the one.”

“I would not betray her for the purpose of obtaining my life.” He said with dignity. “Go ahead, take me if you want, but I will never betray them.”

“I will, I will. But the chance is still there. You have until sunset to change your mind. If you have a change of mind, take the longboat and row to the east, you will find my island.” And then, as fast as he appeared, Scratch disappeared. Mustapha sank on his bed, his head on his hands.

Scratch's offer was tempting, very tempting indeed. All he needed to do was get Maeve's book, and he will be free like a bird. No! he shook his head, pushing the thoughts out. There was no way he would give Scratch what he wanted. The book contained strong magic spells that were used for good, but in the wrong hands they could be purposely used against good. And that Mustapha could never risk.

He stood up, deciding to not give in to Scratch's offer. As his hand was about to touch the doorknob, his mind focused on a different thing. With the silence inside the room, Mustapha can hear his breathing, and also, the beating of his heart. He could vividly recall the incident where he felt them slipping from him; felt himself slipping from the world. He remembered how much he ordered his heart to keep on beating, but it did not obey his wishes. He died, and that Mustapha knew. He had seen the land of the dead, and that he didn't want to see anymore. Scratch may use the book for evil, but they could find a way to defeat him, Mustapha thought.  
  
He could always rely on Sinbad's wit and Maeve's magical abilities. Heck, he could even count on Firouz's ingenuity. Who knows, by then he could have invented a machine that would kill Scratch. That way, the demon would be vanquished. And that way, he wouldn't have to die. Mustapha looked outside his window. If his guess was correct, it was still two hours before sunset. This time, he opened the door, and went outside, his intentions bent on getting Maeve's book and meeting Scratch to save his life.

  
Mustapha went out of his room silently, his mind focused on getting Maeve's magic book. But first he had to make sure that Maeve wasn't in her room. He knocked lightly, and waited for her answer, but before he could make another move, Maeve opened her door and walked outside, pushing Mustapha aside. Dermott was perched on her hand, not daring to leave her alone. Maeve looked pale, and she was breathing fast. She looked upset for some reason.

"Are you okay Maeve?" Mustapha asked politely.

She turned to face him, and forced a smile. "Yes Mustapha, I just need to talk to Sinbad." she answered. Maeve wasn't in mood for a nice conversation. Dermott had told her that Scratch had visited Sinbad to make him a proposition: to give him his soul instead of Mustapha's. Of course Sinbad didn't accept his offer, at least the captain was on his right mind, but still he was thinking about it. Maeve didn't want to lose Sinbad. He was very special to her, but she didn't want to lose Mustapha either. Maybe they were not the best friends sometimes, but yet they appreciated each other. She and the crew had risked their lives to bring him back to life, and they were not going to give him up to the demon, never.

"Are you sure?." Mustapha asked again.

"Yes, I just need to talk to Sinbad." she said while walking to his cabin. Mustapha looked at her until Sinbad opened the door and let her in.

Then he turned to her cabin. It was all empty now. This was a perfect chance for him. Firouz, Rongar and Doubar were up deck, so they wouldn't notice. He opened the door slowly and went in. The first thing he saw was a big desk, full of books and candles. Surely magical stuff. He looked between the books until he found the book of Darkness and Light. He grabbed it slowly, afraid that it was just an illusion. It looked so simple, it was just a book, a book that was going to save his life, again. His heart seemed to jump out of his chest. He was so nervous. Without delay he walked outside and climbed up the stairs.

Up on deck, on the stern, Doubar and Firouz were talking. Rongar was with them, hearing their conversation. His face showing concern.

“What are we going to do now? We don't have time, sunset will fall in two hours." Firouz said.

"We all now that Firouz. We have only one choice, and that is to fight Elbus and kill him." Doubar answered.

"We tried that once, it was very hard."

"But we did it before, and we can do it again." Doubar assured.

"Poor Mustapha. It must be horrible for him. To face this creature again, the one that took his life away once. And now he is coming back to claim him again." Firouz said, shaking his head.

"Yes, but this time that monster will not defeat us easily. We are stronger than before. Even Maeve is getting much better with her magic. She can help us this time. And so are you Firouz, we can use your exploding sticks." Doubar smiles at his friend.

"You are right about that. But I still feel unsure." Firouz continued.

"I'm pretty sure that we are going to defeat him. Stop worrying Firouz." Doubar said while putting his hands over Firouz and Rongar's shoulders. If they worked as a team, nothing could ever defeat them.

Mustapha heard the conversation, but he tried to not to pay attention to it, or he would probably change his mind. He climbed up on the longboat while no one was watching him. Firouz, Rongar and Doubar were at the other side of the ship, and were lost in a conversation. Maeve was with Sinbad in his cabin, and the rest of the minor crewmembers were at the cargo hold. It was another perfect chance for him to escape. He put the book in the boat. He took out his knife and cut the ropes that were holding the longboat. It fell soundly to the water. He grabbed the oars and started to row to the east, to Scratch's magical island. He had told him to go there if he changed his mind. And he did...

~~~  
  
Meanwhile, in Sinbad's cabin, the captain was trying to calm his nerves while hearing Maeve. The sorceress knew everything about Scratch's secret visit to Sinbad, and all because of Dermott, her little spy.

"Sinbad, please, tell me that you are not going to give your soul instead of Mustapha's." Maeve pleaded while trying to keep her voice hard.

"Of course not Maeve! I am not going to give that demon my soul. I don't want that." Sinbad assured.

Maeve smiled slightly. "But then, what are you planning to do?. The sunset will start in a couple of hours."

"The only thing we can do is to fight Elbus. We have no choice. I am not going to give up Mustapha. Never." Dermott chirped slightly. Maeve immediately walked to the window and let Dermott to fly away. He perched on the mast.

Sinbad knew that Maeve was very worried as well. He walked to her and put his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to turn around to face him. "Stop worrying Maeve, we are going to make it. I can bet my life on that."

"That demon gives me bad memories. We lost Dim Dim because of him. He sent him to another dimension. Remember that?."

"Of course I remember it, like it was yesterday." he said slowly. "Maeve, what are you thinking?."

Maeve's expression suddenly changed. "Sinbad, what if I summon Death?." she asked. "What? You are joking right?." Sinbad asked confused.

"No I am not. I think that there is a spell about that on the book of Darkness and Light, maybe if I..."

But Sinbad interrupted her. "Maeve, wait a minute. I do want you to help us with your magic, but I don't want you to get yourself killed. Be very careful."

"Of course, but I am sure that the book can help us, come on!." Maeve said while walking to her cabin. Sinbad followed behind her. But then he watched Firouz and Rongar walking down the stairs to the galley. They seemed worried.

"Sinbad, we can't find Mustapha anywhere." Firouz said.

"What?  Are you sure he is not in his cabin?." Sinbad asked.

"No, we looked everywhere, he is not on the ship."

"But that's impossible. Where could he possibly be?. We are in the middle of the ocean, he can't go away." Maeve's face got pale. She walked to her cabin. The door was opened, several of her books were on the floor. But the worst of all was that the book of Darkness and Light was gone.

"Sinbad! the book is gone!." she shouted.

"What? It can't be. Maeve, are you sure? Maybe you moved it." Sinbad said.

"No, Sinbad. I left it on my desk. It's gone!." Maeve cried. Sinbad, Firouz and Rongar walked up the stairs to the deck. There, they found Doubar, he was holding some cut ropes.

"He is gone. He took the longboat."

*Oh no!* that was the only thing that Sinbad thought.

~~~  
  
Mustapha's muscles started to shake. He was so tired. He had been rowing for at least half an hour, and he hadn't found anything yet. *I can't believe this is happening to me. * he thought.

Mustapha closed his eyes. He could smell the salty air covering his face. He tried hard to not to think of his crew. He could not bear the thought of losing them, but he couldn't bear the thought of going back to the underworld again. It was an horrible place. Then he heard a noise, a great soundly noise. He opened his eyes quickly and his heart almost stopped. There was black mist in front of him, and behind it was an island. He walked off the longboat and grabbed the book.

The island looked scary. The palm trees were black, and the sand was painted in dark blue. Not too far away he found a cave with the shape of a claw. *Yes, this is definitely Scratch's place.* he thought.

Mustapha entered to the cave. Every step his guts seemed to twist in pain. What was he doing here?. He shouldn't be on this island. He should be with his friends making a plan to destroy Elbus. But no, he was here, visiting Scratch to give him the book of Darkness and Light. Damn book! What was with it that everybody wanted it?. Mustapha walked a few more steps and then he stopped. Memories were flooding his mind. Memories of all kind:

_"Tell me!" Sashard demanded as he grabbed the young boy by his shirt collar. Rongar spit in his face. "Never!" he screamed. Sashard slapped the young boy harshly across his face. Rongar didn't even wince. Mustapha's eyes filled with tears as he witnessed his friend's courage. Both boys were chained to the wall in Sashard's dungeon. The foul stench of the dead was almost overwhelming, and the dungeon was dark and gloomy. A small brick fireplace burned along one wall, not even providing enough heat to warm the small dungeon. It barely even provided the boys with enough light to see each other from across the room. A few torches blazed dimly along the brick walls, providing the cold, barren room with a minuscule amount of illumination. Evil torture devices were scattered along the floor, while others were carelessly placed on jagged wooden tables near the entrance. "All right then._

_"Sashard said calmly. "I had hoped that it wouldn't have to come to this." He picked up a thick stick that he had left igniting in the fire. "Tell me where it is or I'll kill your friend!"_

_Rongar struggled to look at Mustapha through teary eyes. Mustapha bravely shook his head slowly. He mouthed the words, 'don't tell'. Rongar sadly nodded understandably and turned his head. Sashard shrugged his shoulders. "Then so be it." He ripped Mustapha's shirt open to reveal his numerous scars from the past few days. He then raised the flaming stick high above his head and smashed it down on the young boy's chest. Mustapha screamed in agony as his felt his flesh burn. Rongar turned to face Sashard. The man was laughing evilly as he watched Mustapha's face writhe in pain. Rongar face hardened. How could he be laughing at this? Rongar struggled intensely with the rusted chains that bound his wrists and ankles. Sashard pulled away from Mustapha, almost reluctantly. He walked over to Rongar leaving the boy's motionless form behind him. He grabbed Rongar by the collar of his shirt._

_"Tell me where it is or I'll kill you too!" he threatened._

_"I would rather die than tell you." he said through clenched teeth. Sashard motioned for his guards to come. Two burly men walked over to their leader and held Rongar tightly, so he was unable to move. Sashard pulled a rusty dagger out from his belt and grabbed Rongar brutally by his throat._

_"If you don't tell me, then you will never tell anyone anything, ever again." Rongar stood stolid, even though he was more scared than he had ever been in his entire life. Sashard pried open Rongar's mouth and began to slice through his tongue. Rongar began to scream from the pain and struggled as hard as he could, but it was of no avail. Sashard smiled as he sawed off the rest of the young boy's tongue with his dagger. Rongar screamed as hard as he could, trying to ease the intense pain. He felt as if he was dying, and he could barely breathe, due to the amount of blood that was seeping down his throat. Sashard smiled evilly and threw the now useless tongue to the floor. Rongar closed his eyes, knowing that this might be the last he would ever see of this world._

_~~~_  
  
Doubar was with Sinbad in the jail, he tried to introduce Mustapha to his brother: 

_"That's Mustapha. He's very much into keeping fit."_

_Mustapha walked up to another man and asked him" Say something about my mother."_

_The man, who did not seem impressed, answered him back:" She dresses you funny."_

_"Swine!" and then he beat him up. Doubar turned around and called him_

_"Mustapha! Come. I want you to meet my brother, Sinbad." Mustapha walked to them_

_"The CAPTAIN Sinbad?"_

_"The same." Sinbad answered. Mustapha happily shook hands with Sinbad_

_"It is a pleasure to meet you, sir. I hope someday we'll sail together." Sinbad's face hit the floor_

_"Well, I'm sorry to dash your hopes, but I'm scheduled for a beheading today."_

_Mustapha, putting on a sad face said, "Oh well. Nice to meet you" He walked away then up to a prisoner that was chained to the wall. "Say something about my mother." he asked again._

_"Lovely woman." the nervous man answered. Mustapha smiled and patted him on the chest_

_"Thanks"_

_~~~_  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" Doubar asked while walking to the woman. 

_"Where do you think? to the ship. Now out of my way Tubby!" Maeve pushed him aside._

_Mustapha, wearing a self-confident grin interrupted her. "Don't you know it's bad luck to have a woman aboard a ship?"_

_"It's bad luck to have idiots as well."_

_"Say something about my mother."_

_“She raised a loud-mouthed son." Mustapha pulled out his sword, then handed it to Rongar; he tried to flip Maeve, but she surprised everyone by flipping him._

_"Welcome aboard." Was the only thing he was able to say._

_~~~_  
  
Sinbad and Mustapha swang their swords at Admir, then, Mustapha was thrown across the ship with Elbus' tail. Rongar dragged him out of the way. Sinbad ran to him "Mustapha!" he took his hand. Mustapha, barely breathing joked again: 

_"Say something about my mother."_

_"She raised a brave son."_

_"Burns...burns..." and then he disappeared._

~~~  
  
A voice got Mustapha's attention back to the reality. "So you are here..." Scratch said wearing a smile. A triumphant, ghastly smile that brought chills running up and down Mustapha's spine. He clutched at the book tightly.

“So I am.” He said.

Scratch held out a hand in front of Mustapha. “The book.”

Mustapha took a step back. “My life.”

“Will be yours if you give me the book.” Scratch moved his hand, indicating that he is already impatient with the exchange of words. “Give it to me.”

Mustapha looked at the demon's hand in contemplation. The move would be so easy. He would just hand the book over to him, and he would be free, free to live the life that was meant for him, free to sail and live his dreams. So what was keeping him from doing so? He raised his eyes, and met Scratch's. the demon's eyes were lively with evilness. And at that moment, Mustapha cursed himself for being so greedy.

“The book!” Scratch demanded, thrusting his hand in front of Mustapha's face one more time.

“Is gone.” Mustapha said, just as he sprinted away from Scratch.

“Aggh!” Scratch cried as he watched the sailor run on his feet. This was not what he was expecting to happen with this meeting. He knew that when he saw Mustapha his plans were in motion. But now… “Fool! Do you know that you have just sealed your own fate? When the night comes you will be mine!”

Mustapha's voice was carried by the wind to the demon's ears. “Then so shall it be! May death claim my soul that is with honor!”

Scratch fumed, his head turning red with rage. A flame appeared in his hand, and he shot it to the ground, where the dark power penetrated the layers of filth and entered the gates of Hell. Finally, the flame touched the body of the monster, and it disappeared from the land of the punished. “Bring them death!” Scratch shouted as a ball of dark energy floated around him. As the ball flew away, he added, “Take them down! Take each one of them!”

~~~  
  
Maeve buried her head in her hands. The book was gone. Mustapha was gone. Could it be? Did Mustapha bring it with him when he departed? But why would he do that? She raised her face when she heard someone knocking on her door. “Come in,” she said, a little weakly. Sinbad emerged from the door.

“Hey,” he said softly. “Are you okay down here?” She nodded.

“Yeah, I'm… I'm fine.” She said. Maeve eyed the feather and the ink that was on her desk. She grabbed the feather and plunged it on the tube of ink. Then, she looked up at Sinbad. “I'm still doing the spell.”

He looked at her, confused. “But isn't the spell in the book?” Maeve nodded.

“I know that. But I can try to write another one.” Sinbad stared at the paper spread about on her desk. Then, he nodded as well.

“Take care, Maeve.” He said. “Be sure that no harm will come to you or the crew.” he said gravely. Maeve was about to respond when Doubar came down on them. “Sinbad!” He exclaimed, out of breath. “A monster was spotted east! You must see this!”

“Maeve, you stay here and finish the spell,” Sinbad said before he left and went to the deck. The night was already dawning when the captain stepped on the deck. The whooshing of the water against the sides of the ship were constant, a sign that an interruption was near.

“Firouz!” Sinbad yelled to the scientist with his Magnascope at hand. “What do you see?”

Firouz ran to his captain, fear evident in his face. “You will not believe this,” he exclaimed. “But the creature I saw was Elbus!”

“Elbus…” Sinbad breathed as he stared at Firouz's ashen face. He grabbed his sword.

“Get your exploding sticks, Firouz, it might come in handy!” Firouz nodded and he scrambled to his cabin downstairs.

Sinbad ran to the Magnascope and peered through it. Surely, the monster's huge and ugly head was visible through the small opening. It was only about a few hundred meters away. What would they do?

“Brother!” The captain yelled to his firstmate, “Grab the spears and arm everyone! We are under attack!”

Mustapha jumped on the lifeboat and began rowing furiously, his sense of self-respect giving him the strength to carry the grueling task. His eyes fell on the book that was still with him, and he smiled. He had managed to overcome his greediness and he did the right thing. He didn't betray his friends, and that was what was important to him. They were all he had in this world, and to betray them was like taking his own life. If he did what Scratch wanted, he wouldn't be able to live with the knowledge that he had risked everything so that he could keep his life.  
  
He knew that his friends would never forgive him for what he had done, and what would life be without them? He urged his muscles to move and move again, and urged his exhaustion to keep out of the way. He must get to the ship before anyone noticed his absence. Suddenly, an explosion made him stop his movements. He looked back, and there he saw the Nomad, and the huge monster that was attacking her. Elbus! Mustapha rowed faster that he had ever before, determined to reach the ship in time. 

~~~  
  
“Come on, come on, work!” Maeve said in irritation as she stared at her writing. She came up with the words of what her mind recalled from the book, yet, as she chanted it, nothing happened. It could be two things. Her power was not enough to summon Death, or… She had written the spell wrong. Maeve frowned as she stared at her writing. The spell seemed to be correct, she thought. So why isn't it working?

 _“As Light fades and Darkness ensues,_  
_life drains away from the broken vessel,_  
_come to thee, come to thee, Death, oh come to thee.”_

Still, nothing happened. Maeve stomped her foot in annoyance. The movement caused the candle on her desk to overturn, pouring hot liquid wax over the potion that she had conjured. Without warning, a small explosion happened, and then… Black smoke gathered inside the room.

~~~  
  
“Light another one, Doubar!” Firouz encouraged. “This time, aim for the eye! We may have better chance of defeating it if we managed to weaken it first!” Doubar nodded his answer and began re-positioning the exploding stick. He aimed for the eye, just as what Firouz had said. he lowered the torch, lit the stick, and watched as it propelled forward and into the beast's eye. Elbus ducked smartly, avoiding the stick altogether.

“It's not working, Firouz!” Sinbad yelled as he watched the monster avoid the exploding stick.

“We have to manually kill it!”

“By manually you mean stabbing it through the head?” Firouz asked.

“Yes!” Sinbad answered. Doubar eyed Rongar, and the moor nodded. He grabbed his small sword and positioned atop the monster's head, determined to jump on it when it was distracted.

“Distract it!” Sinbad ordered as he hold on to the railing. The monster was rocking the ship violently, determined to bring it down. If it would keep this up, it might cause a hole on the bottom of the ship. Doubar lowered the torch to the exploding stick. But before he lit up one of them, Sinbad's cry surprised him.

“Mustapha, NO!” He watched in horror and amazement as the young man jumped from the longboat and onto the lowered neck of the monster. Elbus wriggles in an attempt to dislodge Mustapha from it's body. It removed his tail from around the ship and began to flip it towards itself; trying to target the place where Mustapha was currently at. Mustapha grabbed his sword and raised it up. He managed to pierce through the soft flesh of the monster's neck just as it's tail stabbed his back. The dying monster stopped it's actions altogether and began to sunk into the water, taking a mortally wounded sailor down with it.

“NO!” Sinbad cried in horror. He jumped to the waters and swam towards Mustapha, who's body was barely floating on the water.

~~~  
  
Sinbad swam as fast as he could, he sank deep into the waters. Fortunately, Elbus was going down. It was dead, and its blood was dyeing the water red. Not far away, Sinbad could distinguish Mustapha's body. Was he alive? He was not moving, not even trying to swim. His face was cast downwards on the waters. Sinbad didn't care if his muscles were already aching, he kept swimming until his fingers touched Mustapha's hand. He pulled him up, and with a great effort, they reached the surface. Sinbad was gasping for air, but Mustapha wasn't even moving. His body seemed to be frozen.

Doubar bent over the railing and helped Sinbad to lift up Mustapha. Rongar looked at the sea and then he made some signs to Sinbad. The captain turned around and saw that the longboat was destroyed.

"What is it Rongar?" he asked. Sinbad couldn't see anything. But Rongar kept making signs pointing to the longboat. Sinbad didn't understand. He searched with his eyes carefully until he found it. Not far from the boat was what was left of the book of Darkness and Light. Sinbad swam to it and grabbed it. *And everything because of this damned book.* Sinbad thought to himself while climbing up to the rail.

Doubar placed Mustapha on the floor. He was not breathing, and the blood seemed to flow like a river over his chest.

"Is he dead?." Sinbad asked Firouz.

Rongar's face turned pale. *Not again!* he thought. He pushed Firouz aside and sat down near Mustapha. Firouz placed his hand around Mustapha's wrist to check his pulse. It had ceased.

"He is gone." Firouz answered sadly. They remained in silence, just looking at each other. There were no words to describe their feelings. Mustapha was gone, again. Suddenly, a cold breeze surrounded them. Firouz covered his arms with his hands. Why was it so cold.?

"Now what.?" Doubar said. Maeve opened the door of the stairs and walked to her friends. Her face was full of emotions. "Maeve, Mustapha is dead." Sinbad said to her. "Not for long." a new and strange voice answered him. A bright light surrounded the ship, it was green and very cold. Sinbad looked at the side of the Nomad. He noticed that clear mist had appeared. For one moment he thought that his eyes were fooling him. He swore that he had just seen a man standing there, covered with a cloak. But it wasn't an illusion, somebody was there, the same person that was causing the cold breeze.

"Who are you?." Sinbad demanded while taking out his sword.

"I am an immortal being." he answered.

"My brother asked you your name." Doubar declared while standing beside Sinbad.

"I am Death." he said.

"What?. It can't be!"

"He is right Doubar. He is Death." Maeve answered.

"Your spell worked after all." Sinbad smiled to Maeve. She smiled back.

"What do you want here?." Firouz asked.

"I came to make up things as they were meant to be."

"Mustapha was meant to stay alive. And he is dead now." Sinbad declared angrily.

"You don't know anything about this captain." Death answered him.

"I know enough. Mustapha was meant to live and to enjoy his life. Scratch ruined everything."

"No, he obeyed my command. I ordered him to send Elbus if Mustapha didn't agree to give up his life."

"Then he broke his promise." Maeve said.

"What do you mean sorceress?" Death asked her, his green eyes shooting sparks.

"He visited Sinbad and asked for his soul instead of Mustapha's." she declared.

"WHAT?"

"That's not all. He came to Mustapha as well. Scratch told him that if he stole the book of Darkness and Light from Maeve and give it to him he would spare his life." The captain finished.

Death seemed shocked. Scratch had fooled him. How could he trust him in first place? He raised his bony hand and clenched his fist in anger. The demon would pay for this offense, yes... and dearly.

"Then I will restore this brave man's life." he said pointing to Mustapha, for he had seen the way Mustapha had fought with Elbus, with courage and determination. Death passed his hand around Mustapha's chest. His wound healed immediately and the bleeding ceased. A bright light came out from Death's hand and went through Mustapha's body. When it stopped, the sailor opened his eyes. His lungs seemed to burn, but as the seconds passed, he could feel the air blowing freely through his body. He was alive again. Alive and safe.

The crew was overwhelmed with joy. Mustapha was back, and this time for good. Rongar immediately offered his hand to his friend, who accepted it gladly. Doubar grabbed Mustapha and gave him a big hug. Maeve and Firouz hugged him as well, happy to have recovered him.

"I'm not done yet." Death declared, feeling uncomfortable at this display of feelings. He never enjoyed them.

"Come here sorceress." he pointed at Maeve. Everyone turned around to face the Death.

*What does he want with Maeve?* Sinbad wondered. Maeve stepped aside of her friends and walked to him, slowly. She bowed at him.

"I know that you possess great powers. And yet you haven't discovered at what level your magic can get to. But there's something I should warn you about."

"What is it?." Maeve asked a bit nervous. Death raised his hand one more time and pointed to Maeve. Sinbad saw this and stood at Maeve's side. "When you used the resurrection spell on Mustapha you caused an imbalance to this world..."

"But I..." Maeve interrupted.

"I'm not finished yet!. You caused a dangerous imbalance. You should be punished, but I am going to give you one chance, because I know the reasons why you restored Mustapha's life, and they are pure and honest." Maeve was completely shocked. She held her breath.

"So, what do I have to do?." she asked.

"I forbid you to use the resurrection spell again." Maeve exhaled and her body relaxed.

"I swear I will not use it again." she assured.

"And if you ever dare to break your promise, I will punish you with your life. Is that clear?." he said, smoothing his voice. Maeve smiled and nodded. Sinbad touched her shoulder and pushed her gently to his side.

"Thank you." he said sincerely.

"No need captain." he raised his hand and the light formed around him.

"One more thing. I will come back very soon, to claim one of you..." he looked at everyone with his piercing eyes and then disappeared.

~~~  
  
"NO!!!" Scratch shouted in anger. His lair started to shake. He was so furious. A perfect plan ruined. "I will have my revenge Sinbad. I will not rest until you and your dear crew die. I will destroy you!!!."

"Hold on Scratch." a familiar voice said. Scratch recognized it instantly. It was Death. Annoyed, he turned around to face him. "What do you want?."

"You will pay for what you have done."

"I have done nothing. I only wanted justice."

"Revenge. You wanted to take revenge against an innocent soul Scratch."

"Yes right, I have heard those things before..." Scratch started to walk away, but Death appeared in front of him, blocking his way.

"You will pay for fooling me Scratch."

"You can't do anything against me, now out of my way bony." Scratch pushed him aside. Death had enough now. He raised his hand and with one movement sent Scratch to the ground.

"Don't you dare to challenge me! I am more powerful than you are." Scratch felt scared for the first time in his life. "What are you going to do to me?." he asked.

"From now on you will not be the keeper of the damned souls."

"WHAT! you can't do that."

"Like hell I can't! I banish you." and with his final word he disappeared.

"NOOOOO!" Scratch shouted.

~~~  
  
"May I come in?." Sinbad asked politely.

"Sure captain." Mustapha answered. He was in his cabin, resting. Sinbad walked in and closed the door behind him.

"How do you feel?."

"Alive." he simply answered.

"Yes, it's truly a miracle." Sinbad smiled.

"Yes, and this time I will not spoil my life. I will live to the fullest, and honestly"

"You have lived like that since a while ago. When Maeve brought you back." Sinbad assured.

"Oh really?, and what do you call what I did to you? I stole the magic book to give it to Scratch, that was very stupid and dishonest of me." Mustapha said looking directly to Sinbad's eyes.

" But you changed your mind soon enough to correct it. You saved us Mustapha." Mustapha brushed his hand over his face and sat down on his bed. Sinbad sat next to him.

"I was so scared. When Scratch told me that I had to go back to the underworld, I simply became insane. I didn't want to go back there. It's so horrible, it's an experience that you can not explain with words. You think that you are not dead, because you can feel, but yet you are not alive. It was like being trapped between two worlds, not knowing where to go, or what to do. The soul suffers so much." he covered his face with his hands.

Sinbad understood what Mustapha was feeling and put his hand on his shoulder, as a sign of comfort...and friendship.

"You will never go back to the underworld, I swear that to you." his captain declared.

Mustapha smiled for the first time. He had the feeling that everything was going to be all right now. He was so happy that he didn't betray his friends. They were his family.

An unfamiliar sound interrupted Mustapha's thought. It sounded like an explosion, coming from the cabin of Firouz. Sinbad, Mustapha and Maeve, who was carrying Dermott, ran to the cabin. There they found Firouz. He was all right, but his cabin was a mess.

"What happened?." Sinbad asked. "Oh...eh... I was preparing some chemicals but, I mixed some substances and that caused the explosion." Firouz said ashamed.

"You'll never change, right Mr. Science?." Mustapha laughed.

"Oh, so you are feeling better.?" Maeve asked him.

"Yes, thanks to your boyfriend, Sinbad." Mustapha answered with a mocking tone. Maeve shoot sparks at him with her eyes. Mustapha smiled again.

"Yes, it looks like some things never change." Firouz declared. A smile curved Mustapha's face. He had a little idea.

"Hey Firouz!, say something about my mother."

"Oh??"

"Not too observant now, are you Firouz?." Mustapha surprised everyone by grabbing Firouz arm and flipping him. He fell to the floor and Maeve started laughing, followed by Sinbad. Firouz rubbed his sore back while grimacing at him.

"Mustapha, one thing I would say about your mother is that truly, she raised a loud-mouthed son." Mustapha laughed and patted his shoulder.

"Some things will definitely never change." Sinbad completed while shaking his head.

* * *

_Fin_


End file.
